Dixons Carphone to become Currys in major rebrand

Electricals retailer Dixons Carphone has revealed plans to rename all its UK and Ireland shops as Currys as part of a major rebrand.

The group said Currys PC World, Carphone Warehouse, Team Knowhow and Dixons Carphone will all become Currys by October, with a new Currys website also set to be launched.

It will see the rebrand rolled out across more than 300 stores, 13,000 colleague uniforms and some 300 vehicle liveries, according to the group.

Dixons Carphone will also change its name to Currys plc on the London stock market after the group’s annual shareholder meeting in September.

The move will spell the end for the Dixons, Carphone Warehouse and PC World brands.

Alex Baldock, chief executive of Dixons Carphone, said the Currys rebrand decision was a “no-brainer”.

He said: “It’s the best of the old and the best of the new.

“Since Henry Curry first started helping everyone enjoy the amazing technology of his day – the bicycle – in 1884, Currys has been the best-known and most trusted brand in tech.”

He added: “We’ve worked hard to become one joined-up business and becoming Currys reflects and accelerates that.”

He said the move will make it easier for customers, who can “turn to Currys for all their tech needs”.

Mr Baldock admitted it is a “bitter sweet day” for brands such as Dixons, which will disappear from high streets and online under the rebrand.

“But now we can get behind a brand that will cover it all,” he said.

He confirmed there will be no store closures as a result of the name change and overhaul, and that the group’s international brands in markets such as Norway and Sweden will remain unchanged.

It forms part of a recently announced £190 million increase in investment across the group, with revamped stores, an online push, and staff training in technology among plans on the cards.

The group’s first new-look store was unveiled in Edinburgh’s Kinnaird Retail Park on Thursday.

Currys is getting a bold new look!

We’re bringing four brands together and uniting as one team of capable and committed colleagues under one brand – Currys. #WeWinTogether #WeAreCurrys pic.twitter.com/J9V2G2ODgg
— Dixons Carphone plc (@DixonsCarphone) May 13, 2021

Dixons Carphone has undergone a raft of rebrands over the years, with the Dixons name being ditched on the high street in 2006 when it decided to roll out a change to the then-Currys.digital across its shops.

Dixons was retained then as the brand for its online retailing operations, while it has also been used for Dixons Travel.

But the group announced plans in April to shut the 35-strong airport store business, Dixons Travel, due to pandemic trading woes and the end of tax-free tourist shopping.

It also axed all its 531 standalone Carphone Warehouse stores last year, instead keeping the brand as a store within larger shops.

The firm also recently announced plans to shut all its 81 Carphone Warehouse stores in the Republic of Ireland, with the loss of almost 500 jobs.